Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Police conducted a surprise raid at the high-security Mysuru Central Prisons yesterday, seizing SIM cards, two knives, mobile phone chargers and some money from certain inmates. Notably, no lethal weapons or drugs were recovered during this operation like in previous raids.

Following an order from the City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth and DCPs M. Muthuraj (Law and Order) and S. Jahnavi (Crime and Traffic), ACPs Shanthamallappa from Devaraja Subdivision, Gajendra Prasad from Vijayanagar Sub-division, Sudhakar from Narasimharaja Sub-division, Ramesh Kumar from Krishnaraja and City Armed Reserve ACP Jayaramu raided the jail premises in five teams.

The ACPs were joined by Police Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and operatives from the Commando Force and Dog Squad teams during the raid. Every barrack and individual living quarters were meticulously searched, with even beds and clothing inspected. Following a comprehensive search effort, the teams successfully confiscated SIM cards, a knife, mobile phone chargers, and a quantity of money from the inmates. The finding of SIM cards within the jail barracks has raised significant concerns, particularly because prisons are designed to isolate inmates from external communication. This is especially worrisome given the presence of many anti-social elements within the prison population.

The troubling revelations from the Mysuru Central Prisons indicate that certain inmates have been involved in illicit dealings with criminals outside, despite the stringent security measures in place.

In response, Police teams are actively tracing the phone numbers associated with the seized SIM cards. Officers said that the presence of SIM cards and mobile phone chargers implies the existence of mobile phones either concealed by prisoners, evading detection during the check, or potentially destroyed before the inspection teams arrived at the barracks.

Seizures necessitate stringent measures

Security arrangements in the jail remain a pressing concern, highlighted by the seizure of SIM cards and mobile phone chargers believed to have facilitated communication with external gangs and their affiliates. This underscores the urgent need for a foolproof mechanism to prevent such incidents.

Given that the Mysuru Central Prisons accommodates gangsters and hardened criminals, the use of phones for illicit activities such as drug trafficking, extortion and inciting unrest is widespread. Monitoring the sale of SIM cards to inmates and launching investigations into their accessibility and the identity of suppliers is imperative, including probing potential insider involvement.

Continuous monitoring of security personnel is essential to root out collusion with prisoners. The confiscation of these items within the jail premises underlines the necessity for a comprehensive overhaul of the security system, leveraging technology.

‘Case will be booked’

A probe has been ordered to know how these SIM cards reached inside the high-security prison and who was using them. A case will be registered in this regard and the jail inmates will be questioned. We have also recovered two small knives from a bathroom. But lethal weapons and drugs have not been recovered. —Ramesh Banoth City Police Commissioner